The Scenic Route
by lucexoxo
Summary: AU/AH: Raising a child with someone has been known to result in a somewhat complex relationship. Especially when it's with Klaus Mikaelson. Successful events manager Caroline Forbes and her ex-husband have managed to beat the odds and remain friends despite their divorce. Well, sort of.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Raising a child with someone has been known to result in a somewhat complex relationship. Especially when it's with Klaus Mikaelson. Successful events manager Caroline Forbes and her ex-husband have managed to beat the odds and remain friends despite their divorce. Well, sort of.

 **The Scenic Route**

 **Chapter 1- Happy Camper**

 _Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Klaus' eyes snap open at the sudden awakening and he groans, it felt as if spears were jabbing into his skull one ricocheting blow after the other. He opens his eyes and squints against the sunlight streaming in through his bedroom blinds. For a second he doesn't even remember how he got here. His mouth is hot, his tongue is dry and he feels like the room is still spinning just as fast as it had been the night before. Sitting up and pushing the heels of his palms into his eyes he groans again, the lingering smell of whiskey in the room almost suffocating.

 _Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Startled Klaus looks down at his phone lying next to him amongst the tangled mess of duvet and sheet, and frowns when he reads the caller I.D. Why would she be ringing him at this hour on a Friday?

Then the realisation hits him. He looks at the clock on his bedside table- 9:04 am.

 _Fuck_.

He groans once more although this time it's not a result of his pounding headache but rather at his own stupidity.

 _Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Springing out of his bed he tugs on his jeans from the night before and, stumbling over his own feet in his rush, darts around the room in search of a clean shirt. He flings open his wardrobe door and pulls out a black t-shirt.

 _Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Still in the process of tugging his shirt over his head he makes his way back over to the bed and picks up the phone. Allowing himself a couple of moments to gain his composure in an attempt to sound like he hadn't just woken up 60 seconds ago he answers.

"Good morning, Caroline."

"Where the hell are you?" the familiar voice on the other end of the line snaps causing Klaus to wince and pull the phone a couple of inches away from his ear.

"I'm in the car now," he hastily blurts out, pinning the phone between his jaw and shoulder as he puts socks on.

Making his way into the kitchen he spots a boxer-clad Kol passed out on his black leather sofa, a set of handcuffs attached to his right wrist. Shaking his head Klaus realises he probably doesn't even want to know and jabs Kol in the ribs with his foot. The younger guy stirs but doesn't open his eyes, muttering a fancy verbal cocktail of his favourite swear words which all pretty much mean the same thing- _fuck off_. Prodding his brother again, Kol finally opens his eyes and scowls up at Klaus.

"What?" he barks, his voice still husky with sleep.

Klaus points at the phone and mouths ' _Caroline_ '. When Kol merely shrugs in response and tries to cover his face with the leather backing of the sofa, Klaus kicks him once more and gestures towards the kitchen mouthing, ' _Coffee. Now_ '.

Begrudgingly Kol gets up and heads into the kitchen grumbling something that sounded vaguely like 'hungover' and 'ridiculous hour'. When he notices the handcuffs on his wrist he frowns and turns to Klaus. "How-"

Klaus just shrugs before shifting his attention back to the phone conversation.

"You're still at yours aren't you." It wasn't a question. The accusation was evident in her voice and immediately guilt seeps into the pit of his stomach, he can't believe he'd overslept. Damn Kol and his impromptu drinking session. His only saving grace was that he'd packed and got everything into his car yesterday. Despite how it may come across he'd actually been looking forward to this trip since they'd planned it.

"No, it's just that the traffic's really b-"

"Hi Kol," her voice rings clearly from the phone and Kol looks up from pouring the freshly made coffee.

"Morning, Taylor Swift," Kol yells across the room loud enough for Caroline to hear on the other end of the line and Klaus glares at him, causing Kol's mouth to twitch upwards into a smirk.

Klaus hears her sigh through the phone, "He's sat by the front door, Klaus. Waiting for _you_. If I have to tell him one more time that his _father_ isn't going to make it and watch the look of devastation that falls across his face every time, I…" she cuts herself off mid-sentence, the silence a lot more poignant than anything she could ever put into words.

Stressfully Klaus runs a hand over his face. "I'll be there, Caroline," his voice takes on an uncharacteristically serious tone. "I'll just down a coffee and I'll be at yours within the next thirty minutes."

When she doesn't respond Klaus moves over to the other side of the room out of Kol's hearing distance. "Look, I know I've fucked up recently," he mumbles, "But I'm going to make it up to him." There's a hesitant pause before he adds, "To both of you."

"Just… Just make sure you get here, Klaus."

And then the line went dead.

Sighing, Klaus turns around and heads back towards the kitchen. Grabbing one of the coffees Kol had made he practically downs half of it in one gulp, the boiling liquid burning the back of his throat. He instantly feels the kick of the caffeine, however. The shot of hot energy warming his insides immediately.

"That sounded intense," Kol says without looking up from his mug. "Wanna talk about it?" he asks casually as he takes a sip from his coffee.

"No," Klaus deadpans.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Kol continues to sip his coffee, a non-awkward silence hanging in the air between them. If Klaus wasn't ready to talk he wasn't going to press him for details. So instead he changes the subject. Raising his wrist with the metallic handcuffs attached to it, Kol stares confused. "Where did these come from?" he asks, the puzzled expression still etched onto his face.

Downing the rest of the liquid in his mug Klaus picks up his car keys and leather jacket on his way to the front door. Just as he's about to leave he turns to look at Kol, his crimson lips tilting upwards.

"A more pressing issue, brother. Where are the keys?"

-x-

Caroline paces around her apartment, her eyes continuously flicking between the large clock on the wall and the young boy who was currently sat atop his roll along bag by the front door with his chin resting in his hands.

56 minutes.

He was 56 minutes late.

She clasps her phone in her hands expecting the call at any moment to let her know that _something had come up_ and he wouldn't be able to make it.

They'd postponed and rescheduled this trip three times already and each time her son had looked as if she was telling him Christmas had been cancelled that year. But the seven year old adored his father and had bounced back every time, his happy smile returning as quickly as ever.

God her ex-husband infuriated her.

Despite them managing to maintain a relatively friendly façade, the tension was always there bubbling just beneath the surface. Tension that, like an earthquake, could snap at any moment and woe betide anyone who'd be in close enough proximity to feel the rippling seismic waves of that sudden release of energy.

Some days it was hard to believe that things had once been different. That they'd once been that couple to spend lazy Saturday mornings curled up side by side or that they'd once had zero doubts that _together_ was how they were going to spend the rest of their lives. But they'd also once been young and naïve and one day they'd both realised it.

The light patter of feet pulls her from her thoughts.

"Is he still coming, mom?"

Caroline looks down into the round, blue eyes of her son. The eyes that constantly reminded her of his father. Crouching down so that she's face level with him and noting the look of disappointment in his eyes, she says, "Why don't you go to the bathroom? You guys are going to have a long drive ahead of you."

"Ok," he responds eagerly, nodding his head so fast that for a second Caroline thinks it might actually fall off.

As she watches him scuttle off in the direction of the bathroom she unlocks her phone. Just as she's in the process of scrolling through her contacts there's a pounding knock at the door. Frowning slightly she walks towards it and looks through the peep hole.

Flinging it open she gives the visitor a quick once over taking in his familiar leather jacket, the light stubble on his face that'd grown longer since the last time she'd seen him and the faint stench of alcohol on his breath that he'd failed to conceal.

Without uttering a word she spins on her heel and heads towards the kitchen and, like usual, he follows.

"You're late," she glances over her shoulder.

"I took the scenic route," he offers as a response and Caroline's eyes veer skywards at the predictability of him. He'd always used taking the damn _scenic_ route as an excuse for being late. From birthdays to meetings to their wedding, the scenic route was always found guilty.

Once in the kitchen she reaches into a cupboard and pulls out a mug before pouring him a coffee and instinctively adds milk and one sugar.

"Drink that," she passes it to him whilst turning to properly face him, "You look like crap."

Klaus stands there, holding her gaze, staring back at the woman who could once render him incapable of coherent thought and leave him dazzled all in a single motion. But not anymore. That was a long time ago.

Raising the mug to his lips and taking a sip he finally tears his eyes away. "Kol invited some mates round and things got a little-"

Caroline cuts him off with a loose wave of her hand, "It's fine." She knew all too well how Kol could be and together with Klaus no one knew particularly what they got up to, even now when they were supposed to be adults. Then she smiles at him, "I'm glad you're here. He's been so excited."

"Speaking of," Klaus says, placing the coffee on the kitchen island, "Where is Henry?"

"He's in the bathroom, I'm sure he'll be right out."

Klaus nods and looks around the kitchen taking in his surroundings. He'd not yet had the chance to visit Caroline's new abode. It was impeccably tidy and cheerfully decorated with natural light pooling in from a large window overlooking the San Francisco skyline, the panoramic view sweeping across the city. Photographs were everywhere adding to the friendly environment of the room. It was very… very _Caroline_. His eyes linger on a photo of him, Caroline and Henry who'd only been 18 months at the time and a small smile graces his lips at the memory behind the photo. They'd just bought Henry his first ice cream and somehow he'd managed to get it all over his face causing the both of them to laugh and that's the moment the photo had encapsulated forever; the three of them looking like a perfectly happy family. Turning his head slightly his eyes stop on another photograph but in contrast to the previous one this causes his smile to falter.

"How is Tyler?" he asks careful to keep his tone steady.

Caroline looks up from the magazine that she'd been skimming through and raises one perfectly groomed eyebrow, the corners of her mouth twitching ever so slightly. "So you've finally remembered his name then?"

She'd been dating Tyler Lockwood for the past year and just within the last month they'd decided to move in together. Klaus, however, had always made a point of calling him _Tyrone_ … until now it would seem.

Klaus shrugs one leather covered shoulder, "Yeah, well, names have never been my speciality."

A chuckle escapes Caroline's lips, "If I remember correctly I think it took you a couple of weeks to stop calling me Charlotte."

"Dad!" Henry comes running through into the kitchen and Caroline watches as Klaus engulfs him in a hug, lifting him up and twirling him around so that his legs were flying out from underneath him.

She smiles at the interaction. Despite what she might say occasionally, Klaus _was_ an excellent father. School plays, doctor appointments, dentist visits, for the majority he was always there. Not to mention that when she'd found out she was pregnant her senior year of high school he'd loyally stood by her and together they'd raised their child.

"Hey little man," Klaus grins at his son, placing him back on the ground. "Sorry I'm late. You all packed and ready to go?"

"Yeah, my bag's by the front door," Henry beams widely, his excitement practically radiating from him.

Klaus ruffles his golden curls, "Ok, why don't you say bye to mum and then I'll help put your bag in the car."

Bending down and peppering his soft, chubby cheeks with kisses Caroline says, "Mommy misses you already." When he pulls back Caroline laughs at the sight of him wiping his cheeks in disgust. "Mom just needs to talk to dad for two seconds. Do you mind taking your bag outside, hunny?"

They both watch as Henry darts off with a certain haste only capable of a seven year old and listen to the sound of the front door slamming shut after him.

Slowly they make their way back out of the kitchen towards the door. Just when Klaus thinks he might have been let off the hook there's a tornado of blonde hair and suddenly Caroline is in front of him, one hand fisting the material of his shirt, the other extending a finger to prod his chest.

"If anything happens to our son I'm going to personally track you down and make you regret the day we ever met," she wraps her fingers tighter into the cotton of his shirt and pulls him almost unnoticeably closer to emphasise her point. "And I mean _anything_ , Klaus. If so much as a hair on his hea-"

"Caroline," Klaus stifles a chuckle and, softly grabbing both of her wrists places them back at her sides, "I have looked after Henry before. It's just one night of camping. Everything will be fine."

Her eyes narrow slightly but his reassurance seemed to have settled her nerves for she goes on to say, "Make sure you're back in time for the flight tomorrow. Rebekah would go crazy if you missed it."

"Like _I'm_ going to miss a trip to Las Vegas."

Then he leans forwards and places a chaste kiss on her cheek, perhaps lingering a moment longer than was acceptable when you've been divorced for five years. Pulling back he reaches past her for the door handle before breezing past with a cool, "I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline."

Leaning against the door frame she watches as he strolls down the corridor to the elevator where he presses the button to call it. When he turns back to look at her she smiles and offers him a small wave and then swivels on her feet to go back into the apartment, closing the door gently behind her.

Running a hand through her hair she attempts to disengage her brain from the thought of Klaus with Henry for over 24 hours without her being there. In the back of her mind she knows it'll be fine but, call it being a mother, she can't help but worry.

-x-

They'd been on the road for just over an hour and San Francisco was no longer visible on the horizon behind them. Klaus' pre-made road trip playlist was on full blast.

"So, how's school?" Klaus takes his eyes off the road to glance at Henry, "any girls on the scene?"

"There is this one girl who I kinda' like," Henry shrugs, tucking his legs up underneath him on the seat. "But she likes this other boy," he shrugs again, "and he's _older_."

"Unrequited, huh?" Klaus mutters shaking his head, "We can't have that. How old is this other guy?"

"He's in fourth grade!" Henry raises his hands before slumping down in his seat.

"Hey, hey," Klaus slowly reaches out and raises his son's chin, "look at me, buddy. You're a _Mikaelson_. You're just as good, if not better than this other kid, you've just got to let the girl know that."

"I'm one of the best in my grade at football."

Klaus scoffs, "football? As in _American football_? Please, I'll have to introduce you to rugby at some point, that's a _real_ man's sport."

Henry's face scrunches up in confusion, "What's rugby? Tyler's been helping me practice my throws and kicks, he's amazing at football."

Klaus clenches his jaw and his knuckles turn white as his grip on the steering wheel tightens. Even though he likes the idea of Tyler being nice to Henry the thought of Tyler teaching him how to play sport sent jealousy coursing through his veins. That was meant to be _his_ job.

"What do you think of Tyler?"

"He's cool, I guess," Klaus' mouth thins into a flat line, "His dad's the mayor of the city."

And boy did Klaus know it. Rich, successful, all-American Tyler Lockwood had it all and now he was playing sport with _his_ kid. Klaus could feel the irritation begin to bubble up inside of him. Shaking his head, Klaus reminds himself that this trip was meant to be some bonding time for himself and Henry and he wasn't about to let fucking _Tyler Lockwood_ ruin it.

Noticing a supermarket just off the road slightly ahead he turns to Henry, "You fancy getting some snacks for later? You're pick."

"Yeah!" the boy claps his hands together excitedly, "can we get ice cream?"

Extending his hand out to ruffle Henry's hair, Klaus smiles, "We can get anything you like, buddy."

-x-

It had just gone noon the next day when Klaus pulls up outside Caroline's luxurious apartment block. Getting out of the car and moving round to open the door for Henry he quickly sends her a text to let her know they've got back. Tilting his head he looks around the affluent area with its immaculately maintained streets and Historic Victorian houses which added to the neighbourhood's unattainable mystique. Nob Hill sure did boast an old-world opulence and Klaus was sure the prices were as high as its hilltops.

Dressed in his leather jacket, faded jeans and scruffy boots, Klaus definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. The people walking past on the sidewalks were dressed to the nines in their tailored suits and fashionable designer dresses; there were certainly no other struggling artists turned art dealer in sight.

"Henry! Klaus!"

Klaus shuts his eyes and inhales deeply. Even the sound of the man's voice was enough to make him tense his stomach muscles in annoyance. Turning he spots Tyler jogging up the hill towards them.

"Tyler," Klaus extends a hand in greeting. If Tyler acknowledged the correct pronunciation of his name nothing in his features gave it away and he grasps Klaus' hand firmly in response.

"How was the trip?" the darker haired man pants, wiping the back of his hand across his sweaty brow.

"So good! We went fishing at this lake and caught a fish this big," Henry raises his arms and pulls them apart to indicate the size.

"What? That's very impressive. Sounds like a good trip. Hey, Tim," Tyler says to the doorman as they enter the building. "You all packed for Vegas?" he questions Klaus, pressing for the elevator.

"Just got a few more things to put in my case but then I'm all set."

A silence follows the brief exchange only to be interrupted by a ding signifying the arrival of the elevator. The silence continues during the elevator ride until they reach the apartment door and Tyler pulls out his set of keys to let them in.

"Here are my happy campers!" Within seconds of them entering the apartment Caroline had already enveloped Henry in a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around him as if it had been 25 years since she'd last seen him and not hours. Then she turns to face Tyler who pulls her in for a brief kiss, his hand gently grazing the strip of flesh at her waist which had become exposed when her top had ridden up.

"I'm going to jump in the shower," Tyler gestures towards his running kit, "I'll see you at the airport in a couple of hours, Klaus."

Klaus doesn't even bother to acknowledge the farewell, an act Caroline doesn't fail to pick up on and she frowns, but in the presence of Henry she decides now's not the best time to confront him. Making a mental note to ask him about it later she picks up Henry's overnight bag off the armchair in the hallway.

"Are you both ready?"

The trio of blondes then proceed to head back out of the apartment. Caroline had arranged for Henry to stay over at one of his friend's so she and Klaus could make the trip to Las Vegas. She's pretty sure Rebekah would have found a way to have them murdered if neither of them could have made it.

Once they were walking down the road, Henry all of a sudden stops and pulls the both of them in for a hug. Sending each other quizzical looks Klaus and Caroline both look down at the young boy.

"What wrong?"

Henry glances up at them with a wide-eyed expression, "When can we go on holiday? The three of us?"

There's a tense pause and Klaus notes how Caroline's shoulders rise and then stiffen at the line of questioning. Fixing him with a flat stare her eyes suddenly flick to his right and her lips part slightly. Grabbing Henry by the hand, she quickly crosses the road, "This is it," she tells Klaus over her shoulder.

Klaus' mouth thins as he follows them across the road and towards the other house, she was clearly flustered.

Ringing the doorbell Caroline bends down and places a kiss on Henry's forehead, "Have fun with Nathan, I'll be coming to collect you tomorrow evening when we're back."

Moving closer to Klaus, Henry wraps his arms around his leg. Smiling, Klaus plants a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Bye little man. Next time we'll catch an even bigger fish and, if you're lucky, I might even introduce to the beautiful sport of rugby. That is, if you're man enough."

Then the door opens.

"Hi, Darcy, thanks again so much for agreeing to this-" Caroline begins but Klaus tunes them out.

His gaze focuses in on his son and a warm, sort of glowing feeling originating in his stomach and spreading out to his limbs takes over his senses. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, all he knew was that he was suddenly feeling incredibly proud of the boy standing before him. He was drawn from his thoughts by Caroline saying goodbye to Darcy and blowing kisses towards Henry. With one final wave the door shuts and Henry was gone, left to experience his first ever sleepover.

The walk back to Caroline's apartment block was in silence. Every time Klaus glanced at the blonde woman next to him her brow was slightly creased in the centre in the way it always did when she had something on her mind. By the time they get to his car just outside her building he'd had enough.

"Ok, what's up?"

"What's your problem with Tyler?" she blurts out and his brows raise a fraction before instantly diving down into a furrow.

"I don't have a problem with him," his heated response is thick with the irritation that had been simmering inside him since yesterday.

She snorts in obvious scepticism and takes a slow step forwards, " _Yes_ you do. I _know_ you, Klaus. You've had it out for him since we started dating. So, come on, we may as well talk about it now considering we're all going to be together for the next 24 hours."

Folding his arms over his chest he stares down into her pale, prickly blue eyes which were sharper than usual, a certain stubborn flare that he recognised all too well behind them. God she was being serious.

"Caroline," he sighs growing impatient with the conversation, "I don't know what you're talking about. I really couldn't care less about Tyler."

"I _know_ you," she reiterates what she'd said earlier and he scowls, a part of him annoyed that she could still read him like a damn, fucking book even after all these years. Taking another small step forwards she continues, "What's the problem? You've never acted like this before with guys I've dated. He's one of the good ones, Klaus. Is it that you're intimidated by him?" He can't help but to scoff at that, but she carries on undeterred, "Tyler's great with Henry, willing to help with whatever, and he _never_ questions the fact that I'm still in contact with my ex-husband. Do you know how hard it is to find a guy like that?"

The mention of Tyler and Henry in the same sentence is enough to send his simmering irritation boiling over the edge. In the back of his mind he imagines Elijah's reprimanding tone at his reaction but he has a hot-temper so how else was he going to react? And just like that, he snaps.

"Oh, of course, because you've got it all figured out haven't you, Caroline?" his voice rises. "Because my life is obviously so uncomplicated I have to seek out problems elsewhere just to keep myself entertained. Well, guess what, not everything revolves around you and your precious Tyler Lockwood," he growls through gritted teeth.

Fire ignites behind her lashes. He's pressed a button that hasn't been tampered with in quite some time.

"You're not exactly perfect yourself, Klaus," she hisses, an unexplained anger erupting inside of her. She places a hand on her chin in fake thought, "Remember when you practically abandoned me in Cancun? Or the time when you went gallivanting off with Kol leaving me to look after Henry with no idea what I was doing? Or that time when, and this is my favourite," she pauses to chuckle coldly, "that time when you decided to turn up late, and _drunk_ , to our wedding." The fire behind her eyes turns to ice as she smiles frostily, "You still go out and get smashed with Kol every other night! We're not 18 and 19 anymore. God, I feel _sorry_ for you!" she yells, causing several passers-by to stop and gawk at what the commotion was.

She spins on her heel attempting to rush off into her apartment but he grabs her by her wrist and pulls her back round to face him so that her upturned nose was inches from his sending the intimacy of the argument skyrocketing.

"Hey, don't turn your back on me, we're not fini-"

"I should've turned my back on you ages ago!" she ends up screaming in his face.

Then a deafening silence grows between them, so intense they both wonder if the other is still breathing.

Dropping her wrist, Klaus takes a step back and watches as Caroline storms past the doorman, who'd been silently watching the escalating bitter exchange, into her apartment block.

Without once glancing back Caroline angrily hits the button to call the elevator, her chest heaving with adrenalin. When it doesn't arrive straight away she hits the button again, she'd never realised how slow this elevator was before. Not wanting to give in to temptation she refuses to look back. The only sign that he hadn't followed her was the roaring noise of his car engine as he floors the gas pedal.

They hadn't argued like that in years.

They hadn't argued like that since they were married.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I just wanted to start off with a couple of things. Firstly, thank you sooooo much for all the follows, favourites and reviews, you guys are awesome! Secondly, some of you were asking whether this was going to be a Forwood fic. I can 100% confirm Klaroline is endgame, even if she is with Tyler at this mo. Also, one other thing, in this story Klaus and Caroline clearly have a lot of history which I may or may not delve into through flashbacks etc if you guys think that could potentially be interesting? Just a thought! Hope you enjoy!

 **-x-**

 **The Scenic Route**

 **Chapter 2- Saturday Night Lights**

Caroline slams the front door behind her, her hands shaking with anger.

It doesn't make sense. Every time she stops to think about it, it just doesn't make any damn sense. What the fuck had happened back there?

She blinks and looks around her apartment for something, _anything_ , to do as a distraction, her mind a jumbled mess of disjointed thoughts whizzing about in no logical order.

Of course she'd acknowledged that there'd always be that back and forth between herself and Klaus; a permanent undercurrent of tension. Tension since the start of the fights, tension since the divorce, tension that came with raising another human being when you're both practically still kids yourselves. The type of tension that used to launch them into a huge shouting match with things thrown and an outpouring of pent up emotions and hurtful words- one that would end like all the others: in icy silence or up against the wall.

Key word: _used_.

That's how they _used_ to be.

She makes her way into the kitchen and the next thing she's aware of is that she has a sponge in one hand whilst ferociously scrubbing the island in the centre of the room.

They weren't supposedto be those people anymore. They hadn't been for five years.

In some sick, twisted way there'd been a sense of long-lost familiarity about it. The fire that had ignited in the pit of her stomach. The supressed anger, outrage and frustration which had exploded with a series of mini volcanic eruptions. Welcome to Klaus and Caroline circa 2011.

But why now? Why revisit what she thought was long buried?

Ok, so she _might_ have confronted him, but her intentions had been harmless. She'd simply sought to find out what his issue with Tyler was because he'd been making it so damn obvious. She'd never thought he would react the way he had. It had been a simple question. One that she'd assumed would have an equally simple answer. Clearly not.

Her arm continues to move in a rapid, swift motion as she relentlessly attacks the counter top, and her eyes, reduced to furious slits of icy blue, never stray from the tiny stain that had been driving her crazy for weeks.

"What are you doing?"

Her body jolts in surprise causing the sponge to silently slip from her rubber glove covered hands and delicately float downwards onto the floor at her feet.

"Oh, just cleaning before we go," she says in a fake-sunny voice, mustering up a smile as she turns to face Tyler.

 _Stress_ cleaning more like.

Tyler chuckles, completely oblivious to how the smile plastered on Caroline's face doesn't quite reach her eyes, and takes a step further into the kitchen. "It's time to go," he nods his head in the direction of the front door where two black cases were waiting.

Caroline's eyes widen as her head snaps to look at the clock on the wall. Shit, they were late. She'd been so engrossed in that _fucking_ stain that she'd completely lost track of time. Almost as quickly as the anger had consumed her it dissipates as her brain springs into action mode.

Peeling the rubber gloves off her hands and flinging them into the sink, an act that causes her to internally cringe, she follows Tyler to the front door where he's holding it open for her. She can put the gloves back in their correct home when they get back.

Picking up her suitcase Caroline can already picture Rebekah. Annoyance would just be the tip of the ice berg. That said, considering she has been planning the wedding that's taking place next weekend _and_ is maid of honor she can't really blame her.

The ping of Caroline's phone signalling a new message tugs her from her thoughts. Pulling the phone out of her purse she reads the text she's just received from Bonnie:

 _Where r u? Rebekah's bro is seriously creeping me out_.

Lips twitching into a smirk, she quickly types a response.

Typical Kol.

-x-

Terminal 2 of San Francisco International Airport is excruciatingly busy. A sea of faces move in an unseen current, flowing like water to their desired destinations. Groups of people sometimes stop and cause a small eddy, resulting in others trickling around the outside in order to continue on their way. It was a hive of activity, the hustle and bustle undeniable, filled with excitement, sadness, longing and boredom all at the same time.

By the time they reach Gate 52 Caroline is beyond thankful to have left the never ending wall of people behind. Pausing to check the time on her phone she releases a gusty sigh in relief. Somehow they'd made it with five minutes to spare; maybe Rebekah's wrath wouldn't be _so_ bad.

Then again, if she knew Rebekah at all, maybe not.

Walking further into the open space Caroline's eyes scan over the crowd of people also waiting for the 14:40 flight in search of a familiar face. Couples old and young, gaggles of girls, groups of guys, there was a whole spectrum of people travelling to Las Vegas.

Sat amongst the rumble of chatter and the blue fabric covered seats, she finally spots who she's looking for.

Bonnie, the other half of Bennet-Forbes Event Management, is sat with her legs crossed and a steely expression planted firmly on her face while Kol seems to be talking at her. Next to them Lexi Branson, long, blonde hair swept back into a pretty bun on top of her head, is chatting animatedly with Damon and Matt.

Standing just in front of the row of seats are Rebekah and Stefan, the dark-blonde man's arm wrapped loosely around her waist as Rebekah tilts her head back in laughter, no doubt at some sarcastic comment Stefan probably made. Although it had taken them a while, her two best friends had eventually realised they were perfect for each other and now here they all were: about to celebrate their bachelor and bachelorette parties in Vegas, which, somehow, Caroline and Damon had managed to organise together.

Well, when she says together she means _she_ planned and booked everything while he scored them VIP booths at some club. Apparently he knows the owner.

Stood talking to Stefan and Rebekah is Elijah looking as impeccable as ever, one hand tucked loosely in his pocket. Despite having just flown in from New York a couple of hours prior, his crisp white shirt and navy jacket looked pristine; not a crease in sight. With him is a woman who Caroline had only seen a handful of times before. Katherine Pierce, Elijah's on/off 'not-girlfriend' (apparently she didn't believe in titles), with her skin-tight black jeans, 5-inch Louboutin heels and cascading mane of chocolate curls is raw sex appeal. Always perfectly manicured and groomed, Caroline's sure she's never once seen a hair out of place or a brunette curl fall flat.

Finally, her eyes land on the final member of their party, his demeanour that of careless nonchalance, and her skin prickles unintentionally with annoyance as she's hit with a reminder of their last encounter. However, as she gets closer, gently tugging on Tyler's wrist to get him to keep up, she shows nothing but cool calmness. To Klaus, and everyone else, she is the mask of serenity.

"Caroline!" Bonnie practically flies from her seat and within seconds has the blonde in a tight embrace. "Thank _God_ you're here," she mutters through gritted teeth, "Mini Mikaelson over there will not give it a rest. Hey, Tyler," she adds giving him a quick peck on the cheek before he heads over to see the others.

Caroline chuckles, "So you've met Kol then. I'd actually been meaning to set you two up but things seem to be moving nicely by themselves." Then she adds, "If he seems pervy and creepy it's just because he's shy."

Bonnie shoots her a breezy smile, "I love hearing how you've always got my back, Care. Add psychopath to pervy and creep and you've just defined my dream man."

Caroline's chuckle blooms into a full blown laugh. "Speaking of dream men," she looks over Bonnie's shoulder as the youngest Mikaelson swaggers over to them with his trademark smirk firmly on his face and an air of confidence as if he owned the place.

"Oh God, you're smiling. Who's died?" she asks him.

"You when Bekah gets her hands on you," he quips before wrapping an arm around her shoulders in greeting. "I have a bone to pick with you, Miss Forbes," his lop-sided grin grows a tad mischievous, "How come, after all the years we've known each other, you've never once introduced me to your feisty little friend before?" His gaze drags down over Bonnie's small frame in a luxuriating once-over.

Eyes narrowing, Bonnie opens her mouth to snap out a retort but Caroline chooses that moment to intervene. She figures they may as well wait until they've actually got to Vegas before something kicks off.

"Hands off my business partner, Kol."

His stare glitters with amusement, "What sort of business partnership are we talking here? Because I'd be hap- "

Stepping out from under his arm and placing her hands on his shoulders she pushes him forwards in the direction of the others. "Did you say hey to Tyler yet?" she pauses for a second, knowing full well the answer, "Oh, I don't think you did! He's been wanting to talk to you for ages. Maybe you should go over and introduce yourself," she says and pushes him gently forwards once more.

In a vaguely amused manner Kol raises his palms in a sign of peace, "Whatever you say, T Swift."

Caroline rolls her eyes at the nickname. Ever since walking in on her singing in the shower a couple of years ago Kol insisted on calling her T Swift, Swifty, T Swizzle as well as numerous other variations on the name Taylor Swift that she didn't previously think existed.

Eyes still narrowed at Kol's retreating figure Bonnie asks, "Remind me again why you put up with that?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Caroline replies. "I guess at some point the lewd comments just seemed to add to the charm that is Kol Mikaelson."

Bonnie looks at her in disbelief. "Care, the guy just asked me if it was true I was where the magic happens."

"I use the word charm loosely."

"Yeah, you can say that again."

Caroline turns to face her, amusement twinkling behind her stare, " _Mini Mikaelson_ really seems to have gotten under your skin."

"No," Bonnie snaps and Caroline smirks. "I'm just saying, the guy has this whole bravado thing going on. It's irritating."

Caroline just nods her head in response. One slow upward movement of her neck followed by an equally slow downward tilt. If Bonnie's ex-boyfriend was anything to go by she would've said Bonnie was quite into the whole bravado/self-confident thing.

Shifting her gaze over to where Rebekah and Stefan are still stood, she suddenly spins dramatically on her heel to face Bonnie, causing her shorter business partner to shoot her a startled look. "On a scale of one to ten on the Rebekah Richter Scale, how annoyed are we talking?"

"Sometimes I wonder how the two of you have managed to remain friends. You're the biggest pair of control freaks I've ever met," laughter laces Bonnie's voice.

"Hey, you weren't complaining about my control freakiness when we booked our first client," Caroline grins and tosses her hair back over her shoulder. "Back then I was just being _detail-orientated_ ," she says as she begins to stroll across the white tiled floor, weaving in between groups of people milling about.

As she gets closer she feels Klaus' stare on her but fights to keep her own eyes fixed on the blonde bride-to-be. She doesn't want him to know their fight has actually got to her because that would be like admitting that after five years of being divorced he can still get under skin and she knows for certain that's not the case. It's just not.

Instead she focuses on reading her best friend's expression and assesses just how much she was going to have to make up for being late.

Stefan she knew would be fine. The guy was more chilled than the beer cooler he used to drag to every High School party they went to. Rebekah, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Tequila shots were probably going to have to be bought in order to get back in her good graces.

When she stops just short of the group, Rebekah slowly turns to face her. Lips pursed and one sharp brow slightly raised, the blonde regards Caroline cooly.

Classic annoyed Rebekah.

"How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Caroline," Rebekah says with a somewhat droll stare beneath her usual scowl.

Lips quirking briefly, Caroline lifts a casual shoulder, "I had an important appointment with a stain that I really couldn't miss."

Rebekah's own mouth twitches but she concentrates on keeping her face completely still, "So, let me get this straight. You chose a stain over me and my bachelorette party?"

Laughing, Caroline pulls Rebekah in for a hug, "I'm sorry I'm late. I know I've got major maid of honor points to make up."

"Shots are on you. _All_ night. I hope that stain was worth it."

"It actually wasn't," Caroline mutters, bringing her right hand up to her face and grimaces. "I think I broke a nail."

Rebekah smirks sardonically, "Karma really is the worst."

Rolling her eyes Caroline moves to talk to Stefan but is interrupted by a sudden announcement over the intercom declaring that it was time to board their plane.

"Sin City here we come!" Kol yells gleefully and Caroline can't help but laugh when Bonnie smacks him round the back of the head.

Just as she hoists her purse back onto her shoulder she notices Tyler walking over to her, running a hand stressfully through his dark hair.

"Everything ok?" she asks, frowning at the tense look on his face.

"I've just spoken to my dad," he gestures at the phone in his hand. "Apparently there's been some issue with him preparing for a meeting with the Board of Supervisors, I'm not really sure." He takes a step closer and runs a hand gently up her arm, "I think I'm going to have to bail on this weekend, but you know I wish I could stay. Although, I was thinking, I could pick Henry up and he could stay with me at ours tonight."

"Oh, that won't be necessary, Tyler," Klaus cuts into the conversation as if he'd been a part of it the entire time, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards ever so slightly.

Tyler's gaze narrows as his eyes flick to where Klaus is now standing and Caroline swears she could feel the temperature in the terminal rise by 10 degrees.

"He's already at a friend's," the lighter-haired man continues. "You don't want to ruin his fun do you?" He strolls confidently over to the pair, his eyes never once straying from Caroline's, "I mean… don't you agree?"

Caroline holds his stare for a long, cutting moment before turning back to face Tyler. "He's _sort_ of got a point," she begrudgingly admits. "Henry will be having a good time and Darcy texted saying she was going to take them out for dinner. You concentrate on helping your dad."

Tyler looks at her for a beat before nodding. Then, completely out of nowhere, he places his hands on her waist and pulls her forwards until she's flush against him and his lips are on hers before she hardly has time to breath. Startled by his sudden display of affection she doesn't even manage to respond until he's already pulling back.

"I'll see you when you get back," he says gruffly. "Klaus," he nods curtly and starts heading back through the airport.

Caroline blinks. What the hell? Did every single male on the planet have some weird macho-complex they felt like they needed to fulfil?

On her way past Klaus to join the back of the queue, she attempts to ignore the satisfied look on his face but his long strides enable him to easily keep up with her hurried pace and right in that moment, still annoyed by their previous fight, she wants nothing more but to slap his smug smirk right off his face.

"What?" she snaps.

"That looked…" he pauses as if deliberating over which word would be most appropriate, "Awkward."

Her eyes flash to the ceiling in a shot of ice-blue annoyance as she reaches into her purse for her boarding pass.

"Look, Caroline," for the second time that day he grabs her wrist, trying to get her full attention. "About earlier…"

Caroline's stare flattens as she slowly turns to face him, her expression completely calm. "There's nothing to talk about. You and I had a disagreement. What's new about that?" Her eyes briefly flick to where she can feel the warmth of his hand still wrapped around her wrist and she tugs her arm back to her side.

Klaus parts his mouth as if to respond but quickly shuts it again. Sometimes his ex-wife could be so goddamn stubborn and if she couldn't see that he was trying to be the bigger person and offer an olive branch, an act which doesn't happen often, then so be it. He knew their previous ' _disagreement'_ wasn't like their usual fights and he knew she did too. _Cleaning_? How dense did she think he was? He knows she does that to help relieve stress.

After a tense moment he figures what the hell and drops his gaze. He'd tried and she was having none of it so, whatever. "Fine, you know what, you're right, it was nothing."

"Exactly."

"Great."

An uneasy stretch of silence fills the gap between them as they both make their way onto the plane and Klaus watches as she absentmindedly plays with a strand of hair that's fallen into her face before tucking it behind her ear.

"Caroline, here!" Rebekah's voice cuts through the extended silence from her seat in 08A, "I saved your seat."

Without even uttering a word Caroline brushes past him with an air so distinctly feline he could practically see a cool, meandering tail flicking behind her.

'Good, right?' he thinks. Her nonchalant attitude would surely mean no drama this weekend. But if it was such a good thing, then how had Caroline just waltzed off with an obnoxiously effortless control of the situation leaving him feeling more irritated than before.

He moves down the aisle, making his way to seat 12D, thinking how counterproductive his conversation with Caroline had been and reminding himself why it was he never normally apologises for anything.

10 minutes later, when the plane is flying smoothly through the air, an air stewardess was pouring him a whiskey and he was enjoying a conversation with the woman sat next to him who doesn't have perfectly, golden curls or an infuriatingly, bubbly laugh and his previous argument is a mere buzz in the back of his head.

-x-

At a minimum rate of $289 per night, the Four Seasons was a good place to burn cash in Vegas _and_ a hole in his wallet Klaus thinks as he does another shot of tequila, the amber liquid burning the back of his throat.

Looking around the hotel bar he feels like he should be more appreciative of the grand arches, warm ochre palette and dark mahogany panelling, but in all honesty he's already way beyond tipsy and he can't think straight. It's nearing on 11 o'clock and he just wants to know when they're leaving for the club. How long did the girls say they needed to get ready?

"Remind me again why you're sharing your bachelor and bachelorette parties?" he slurs, aiming the question at his future brother-in-law who's also slouched over the bar signalling at the bar tender for another round.

"Because," Stefan's bleary eyes struggle to focus. "Caroline is my bro, you know?" He grins goofily, "So I wanted her here. But she's also Rebekah's best friend and maid of honor so that's why we decided to just combine the two."

"Speaking of," Klaus' brow furrows into a serious expression. "You better not screw things up with my sister, Stefan, because if you hurt her I'll personally make sure the rest of your life isn't worth living."

"Hey, you married mine!" Stefan flings out a dramatic hand, narrowly avoiding the disapproving bar tender who's just placed the new tequila shots on the bar in front of them. "And look how that turned out," he finishes, knocking back two consecutive shots before sliding the rest down the bar to where Kol, Damon and Matt are standing eyeing up a group of girls across from them.

Klaus' face crumples into confusion. "What on earth are you talking about? You don't have a sister."

"I have Caroline. I've known her since before I could cook which is practically the same thing."

Klaus drunkenly squints at Stefan, "You are chatting so much shit," he chuckles, "Are you sure all you've had tonight is alcohol, mate?"

"No, it's true," Damon flings a heavy arm around his brother's shoulders. "Stefan and Caroline have known each other forever. Actually, I'm pretty sure we've got an ultrasound somewhere of Stefan cooking duck confit in the womb."

"What are you-"

"Katherine's just texted," Elijah, the only one demonstrating some level of sobriety, cuts into the conversation as he slides his phone back into his inner jacket pocket. "They're on their way down now."

" _Finally_ ," Kol drawls. "This is exactly the kind of shit that reminds me why I'm single. Who in their right mind would willingly put up with all this waiting around for the rest of their lives?" There's an awkward pause until Kol remembers that they're all there celebrating Stefan's upcoming wedding. "Sorry, man," he pats him lightly on the shoulder. "Vodka?" he asks, hoping to divert the conversation away from his drunken rambling.

"Well, if you're offering," Rebekah slinks into the conversation, flanked by Katherine, Bonnie, Caroline and Lexi, and falls into Stefan's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hey," she murmurs against his lips before softly planting a quick, chaste kiss on them.

Placing his hands comfortably on Rebekah's waist Stefan tilts his head to look up at Caroline. "Is Queen C expected to make a return tonight?"

Caroline laughs at the mention of her High School self-proclaimed title. Back then her life had centred around cheerleading, parties and boys. Then she'd gotten pregnant and it had veered her life onto a completely unexpected trajectory which changed her for the better. She'd become more confident and secure in herself and realised that there was more to life than the High School bubble she'd thought life revolved around. Sure, she still loves a party, but she's not the same girly, little Caroline that she'd once been. Becoming a mom at 18 had matured and strengthened her as a person and that's something she would never change.

Looking down at Stefan and Rebekah's expectant faces she hesitates before taking the freshly poured vodka shot in Stefan's outstretched hand. Her alcohol tolerance is not what it once was and she was already feeling the buzz from the Dom Perignon they'd had back in the room.

"Go on," Klaus interjects from his position in the bar stool next to Stefan. "High School Caroline was prettyfun if I remember correctly. _And_ " he adds, shooting her an oddly boyish grin, "We're in _Vegas_."

Sensing the challenge in his tone Caroline holds his stare for a solid four seconds, his own expression cool and unruffled in return. Just as she's about to refuse he drops the three words he knows she can't resist.

"I _dare_ you."

Cocking her head to the side she holds his gaze for a beat longer, brow arched and lips pressed together in a stubborn, straight line until she figures what the hell and her expression neutralises into something more playful.

Tossing a sheet of blonde hair behind her shoulder, Caroline grabs the shot glass from Stefan's still outstretched hand and brings it to her lips, emptying the clear liquid into her mouth with a single gulp.

"Another!" she waves a loose hand in the direction of the bar tender and raises a defiant brow at Klaus.

Rebekah and Stefan, even in his intoxicated state, throw each other a quizzical look at the odd interaction.

But before they could give it much deliberation, Elijah begins herding them out to the taxis and it would become a mere afterthought when discussing the night's antics tomorrow morning.

-x-

She's drunk.

Smashed.

Intoxicated.

And yet having the time of her life.

The neon lights of the Hakkasan Nightclub flash everywhere like colourful police sirens and the music from the DJ set is so loud that it makes Caroline's skin tingle.

She's been dancing with Bonnie and Matt (Stefan's former college teammate has some surprisingly good moves) practically all night and she's pretty sure it's just gone 2 A.M. but she couldn't be sure.

Her brain is too much of an intoxicated fuzz to be sure of anything at this moment in time.

Playfully shaking her hair and gliding her hands down the side of her sequined dress she begins to stumble over to the VIP booth Damon's friend had led them to earlier. She has every drunken intention of dragging Rebekah out onto the dancefloor in order to recreate the days when they often used to dance the night away and were the last ones standing at the majority of High School parties.

On her way over, however, taking her completely by surprise, she feels a pair of unfamiliar hands wrap around her waist and swirl her around so that she's face-to-face with someone completely unrecognisable.

"Leaving so soon?" the stranger leers down at her. "Surely you have time for one more dance."

Even in her own drunken stupor Caroline can smell the alcohol on his breath and grimaces as his grip on her waist tightens.

"Not for you," she snaps, trying to squirm her way out of his hold but to no avail.

In fact, her attempt at escape seemed to spur him on as he proceeds to drunkenly lean forwards and slur, "Come on, let's go back to my place," breathing a foul stench of whiskey and smoke on her in the process.

" _Seriously_?" she hisses. "Do I need to spell it out for you? I am _not_ interested," she enunciates each word slowly in an effort to try and get this thicko to understand her.

"I like 'em when they're feisty," his eyes droop down and then back up her body causing Caroline to sigh.

Could this idiot not take a hint?

"Is there a problem here?"

Relief floods through her at the sound of the heavily accented voice she recognises all too well.

The man's gaze flicks over her shoulder to where it had come from. "What are you? Her boyfriend?"

"No," the voice growls, "But if you don't let go of her then we're going to have to take this outside."

Opening his mouth, the stranger scoffs supplying Caroline with another warm, sticky gust of disgusting breath and she grimaces. Clearly breath mints were not high up on this guy's list of priorities.

"Nah, man. I saw her first-"

Now it was Caroline's turn to scoff.

"Ok, that's it. I've tried being patient but the fact that you ' _saw me first_ '," she air quotes, "is beyond riduclou-"

The beginnings of her rant are quickly cut off as the voice materialises in front of her in the form of her ex-husband who'd swiftly moved behind the stranger and, with an impeccable ease, jerked his left arm behind his back so that the shoulder joint was stretched to a point of near dislocation.

Taking a prompt step back Caroline watches as the man's face contorts into a mixture of pain and shock at the sudden shift in dynamic.

"Ok, dude, chill," he stammers. "I was just having a bit of fun."

"Yeah?" Klaus tugs on his arm once more until the man lets out a whimper. Pathetic. "Why don't you find some _fun_ elsewhere," he releases the arm and shoves him forwards, watching as he scrambles off into the darkness of the club.

"Are you ok?" he asks Caroline in a voice barely audible over the thumping music as he takes a small step towards her.

"I need some air," she mutters, stumbling past him in an alcohol infused haze.

Whirling around he spots the blonde head of hair making her way towards the exit and he rolls his eyes.

"A simple thanks would have sufficed," he says, beginning to push through the crowd of dancers after her.

Once outside his eyes flit over the throng of people until he spots her resting against the wall of the club, the sequins of her dress acting like hundreds of tiny beacons reflecting the flashing neon lights.

Ignoring the very attractive and scantily-clad women who, at any other time, he'd probably try and at least get a few numbers from, he moves next to Caroline and rests his own back against the wall.

For a second neither of them move until Klaus reaches into the back pocket of his jeans and pulls out a packet of cigarettes, placing one loosely between his lips.

"Have you got a lighter, mate?" he asks a guy standing a few metres away who nods and passes him one. "Cheers."

Bringing the lighter upwards he watches as the flame ignites the end of the cigarette and inhales slowly. God it had been a long time. As he hands the lighter back to its owner he watches as the smoke wafts upwards, white against the dark sky above them.

"I thought you'd quit," the blonde next to him finally pipes up.

"I have," he shrugs before offering it to her.

Her gaze narrowing Caroline eyes the cigarette, contemplating whether she should or not. Just as he's about to retract his outstretched hand she grabs it. Holding it for a beat she too lifts it up and takes a drag.

"I thought you'd quit," Klaus echoes and watches as she rolls her eyes, though the slightest hint of a smile tipped her lips up.

"I have," she gives him the cigarette and rests her head on the wall behind her. Not that she'd ever been a full-time smoker or anything. She'd just occasionally liked a smoke when she'd been drinking or was at parties when her friends were also smoking or sometimes on a Sunday morning after same said parties. Ok, so maybe it had been more than occasionally but she was never _addicted_ and this was the first time she'd smoked since before Henry had been born.

"Remember that time when you, me, Stefan and Elena drove to the Gilbert lake house and slept out on the deck?" she asks airily, as if to no one in particular. "That's the last time I had a smoke."

Klaus smiles at the memory, turning his head slightly and watches as wisps of smoke spiral upwards from her lips. Taking the cigarette back and inhaling once more, he mutters, "That was a good trip."

And that's how they stayed. Passing the cigarette back and forth in a comfortable silence, her naked arm hot against his leather-clad one.

He couldn't be sure when it finally burned out. When he eventually dropped the cigarette and stepped on the final remaining embers with his shoe. It could have been five minutes, could've been ten, he figures it doesn't really matter.

"Let's go back," she turns to face him, her stare bright with a faint playful glitter. "I know you hate it but come dance with me," she pleads, reaching out and tugging gently on the front of his leather jacket.

"No way, Caroline," he laughs, shaking his head. "Like you _literally_ just said, I _hate_ it."

"But you're good!"

"Not happening," he places his hands on her shoulders and swivels her around to face the entrance of the club. "But I will come back inside with you."

Pouting, Caroline flicks a tumble of perfect curls behind her shoulder.

"Boring," she drawls, glancing back at him over her shoulder and begins to uneasily stumble her way through the crowd.

He presses a hand to his heart. "Out of all the potential insults that one burns, Caroline," he feigns hurt.

Suddenly, Caroline's legs cave from beneath her, like, literally they give way as if the muscles could no longer support her and she slumps into a pile of toned limbs on the floor.

There's a beat of silence until a giggle escapes through her lips. Tipping her head back it blossoms into a full bubble of laughter.

Staring down at her with a vaguely amused expression Klaus wraps one of her arms around his shoulders in an effort to help her stand up. As soon as he lets go she slips over literally nothing and loses her footing once more. This time his grip shoots to her waist, one hand pressed firmly onto the small of her back to try and stabilise her.

"You are so fucking wasted," he says, his lips quirking into a smirk,

Blinking, Caroline looks at him blearily and smiles brightly. Raising her left hand and parting her thumb and forefinger by about a centimetre, she slurs, "Maybe a lil' bit."

"Ok, I'm taking you back to the hotel."

The line of her shoulders lift into a boozy shrug. "Probably for the best," she releases a loose sigh as her head lolls to the side slightly before she straightens it again.

Klaus chuckles. Suddenly he had a strange sense of déjà vu. Taking a drunk Caroline home from a party felt all too familiar.

Signalling for a taxi, he sends Elijah a quick text to let him know what's happening.

Somewhere between the club and the hotel Caroline fell asleep, her head resting gently on Klaus' shoulder. After many failed attempts at getting her to say which room number she was meant to be staying in (whereby she'd continuously replied with a few inaudible noises that definitely weren't English) Klaus somehow managed to successfully carry her all the way to his.

Swiping his key card to unlock his room he places her onto the bed and uses his leather jacket as some sort of make-shift blanket.

Just as he's about to go to the bathroom her hand shoots out in a move surprisingly quick for someone so out of it, halting him in his tracks.

"Klaus," she murmurs, "About what I said earlier." His brow furrows in confusion. "I would never turn my back on you."

Her arm falls, hanging loosely off the bed, and he smiles.

"You are _so_ gonna be rough tomorrow," he smirks, making his way through to the bathroom and laughs as the sound of her soft snores creep through the door.

-x-

A sleepy nose twitch. Some shuffling. Caroline cracks open one eye and immediately regrets her decision. The morning sun didn't so much hit her eyes as _burn the pupils straight off of them._

Rolling over she's met with a broad, chiselled back and dirty-blonde curls.

"Morning, Klaus."

Wait, what?

"No. Oh no. Oh God." She peeps under the duvet and sees she's only in her underwear, "Oh _God_ what have I done?"

Bolting upright in the bed her eyes scan frantically around her room. Or rather _not_ her room. Her dress was in a crumpled heap on the floor next to the bed and her clutch was lying abandoned next to the door.

"Klaus," she hisses only to be met with a grunt as a response. " _Klaus_ , wake up."

Silence.

Jumping out of the bed, ignoring her pounding head and the wave of nausea that courses through her, she pulls on her dress.

Using one of the pillows she hits him over the head.

"What?" he groans, begrudgingly opening his eyes which were blue slits in the blinding sunlight.

"What happened last night? Why am I in your room? And why was I practically naked?" she probes.

Sitting more upright in the bed Klaus heaves a dark sigh and rubs his eyes. It was way too early in the morning for an interrogation.

"You were wrecked so I took you back here. And when we got back here you couldn't remember what room was yours so I, rather kindly I might add," he smirks, "Let you stay here. As for your dress," he stifles a yawn, "You woke up at some point and started yelling about how it was," he puts on a high-pitched American accent, "'Too hot in this five-star hell hole' and proceeded to take it off. There was no stopping you."

"So we didn't, urm, didn't…"

"Didn't what?" He watches as her mascara-smudged gaze flares with annoyance at his faked innocence. "Oh, have sex? No, we didn't."

Caroline exhales the breath she hadn't realised she'd even been holding. Relief that she hadn't done something stupid surging through her.

"This," she points between herself and Klaus. "We _never_ talk about this."

Bending down to pick up her clutch she blindly storms through the door.

"Caroline that's the-"

 _Slam._

"Bathroom," Klaus settles back comfortably against the pillows and yawns.

After a beat the door re-opens.

"I'm just gonna-"Caroline glides through the room to the other door and Klaus runs his gaze over her appearance. Even in her hungover, sleepless state with her hair a tangled, blonde mess she still seemed to ooze a sort of elegance.

"I'll see you at-" Klaus starts.

 _Slam._

"Breakfast," he casts a hand behind him for a pillow, smothering his face against the sunlight and quickly drifts back to sleep.

Outside the room Caroline runs a hand through her hair, suppressing the nauseous hungover feeling.

Pulling her phone out of her clutch she begins to send a text to Darcy asking how Henry was.

"Well, well, it looks like I'm not the only dirty stop out," a voice from behind halts her in her tracks.

Ok. Now she was actually going to be sick.


End file.
